The ReSharper 2026.2 Early Access Program Begins: Bringing More AI Agents into Visual Studio

Sasha Ivanova

We’re excited to announce that the Early Access Program (EAP) for ReSharper and .NET Tools 2026.2 is now underway!

While our EAP announcements usually cover a wide range of new features, performance updates, and bug fixes, this release is different. We are dedicating this first preview entirely to a singular, game-changing initiative: bringing true AI freedom to Visual Studio. JetBrains is building an ecosystem where you control your AI experience. No vendor lock-in. No forced choices. Just the freedom to use the agents and models that work best for you.

Downloading and participating in this EAP is completely free, making it incredibly easy to jump in and explore the future of our AI integration. Let’s dive into what’s waiting for you in ReSharper 2026.2 EAP 1.

What’s coming: The ACP Agent registry

The AI landscape is evolving rapidly, and we believe developers shouldn’t be locked into a single ecosystem to get their work done. This EAP preview introduces Junie, our first step toward full ACP (Agent Client Protocol) support in ReSharper inside Visual Studio.

This foundation paves the way for our ACP Agent Registry, which will transform ReSharper into an open AI ecosystem, ensuring you always have the right tool for the job.

Soon you’ll be able to:

• Discover agents: Explore local, remote, and in-house agents.
• Set up easily: All agents connect through the same interface.
• Switch between agents: Choose the best ones for each task.
• Stay current: Get the latest models as they are released.

Our broader vision

This initiative is a core part of our 2026 direction for AI in JetBrains IDEs. We firmly believe that AI-assisted workflows and your classic coding routines should coexist beautifully, never hindering one another. By embracing open protocols like ACP and prioritizing zero vendor lock-in, we ensure that while agents help you build faster, your IDE remains the ultimate place to review, understand, and own the code you ship.

Meet Junie: Your first open system agent

To make the “Any Agent” vision a reality, we first need to build a rock-solid, universal connection inside ReSharper. Junie is JetBrains’ own AI coding agent, and we are using it as the first proof-of-concept to test this new ACP integration.

While this initial EAP focuses on testing the integration plumbing, bringing Junie into ReSharper immediately upgrades your daily .NET workflow. Here is what you can do right now:

• Write and edit code autonomously: Junie actively builds and modifies your application. You can ask it to write complex logic based on simple text prompts, or have it edit and update your existing codebase.
• Execute advanced, autonomous refactorings: Junie doesn’t just suggest changes; it applies them. You can task the agent with rewriting a massive, complex class into several cleanly separated logical modules, or have it hunt down and fix suboptimal code across your files.
• Perform terminal and VCS operations: Drive your workflow directly from the prompt. Junie can execute useful terminal commands to create or delete files, initialize Git repositories, stage and commit changes, write your commit messages, and manipulate branches without you ever needing to open a command line.
• Explore, explain, and advise: Junie can answer project-specific questions, explain dense legacy algorithms, and suggest high-level architectural improvements.

What to expect from this EAP

This is an early, exploratory preview focused purely on validating the ACP connection and the agent integration concept. Because we are testing the plumbing, there are a few limitations to keep in mind:

• Solution-wide context: Fine-grained manual context management is not yet available. For this preview, Junie has general access to all files included in the solution directory.
• Backend integration coming soon: Junie is currently a conversational assistant. Deep integration with ReSharper’s famous refactoring and analysis engines is our next big step.
• Basic UI: The integration is functional but not fully polished.

ℹ️ Would you like to know more? Click here to access the documentation. 

Quota and trial information

While downloading the EAP is free, interacting with the AI models requires resources.

• If you already have a JetBrains AI subscription, using Junie will simply consume the  AI quota from that plan.
• If you don’t have a JetBrains AI subscription, you will be prompted to activate a free trial with a limited quota when you first launch the AI Assistant tool window.

Standard quota consumption rates apply. We’ve designed the trial so this limited free quota supports a comfortable, thorough exploration of Junie’s capabilities. However, keep in mind that your actual quota usage rate will largely depend on the specific LLM model you select and the complexity of the tasks you assign to the agent.

Getting started

Enabling Junie: 

Clicking “Try Junie” on the promotional page you’ll see inside the IDE will open the AI Assistant tool window.

• If you have a JetBrains AI subscription: You can proceed directly to the chat. Your first prompt in the AI Chat will trigger a Junie components download. That only adds a few more seconds to processing.
• If you do NOT have a subscription: A licensing dialog will appear with a “Start Trial” button. To start the free trial, you will need to accept the Terms & Conditions and provide bank card information (this is strictly a fraud prevention measure, your card will not be charged).

Switching models:

1. Navigate to Extensions | ReSharper | Options | AI Assistant | Junie to select different model options.
2. Click Save and the AI Chat will have the selected LLM model activated. Prompt away!

Troubleshooting:

If you have trouble launching the AI Chat tool window, please make sure you don’t have AI Assistant disabled in ReSharper. To check if that might be the culprit, go to Extensions | ReSharper | Options | AI Assistant | General and check the AI Assistant box. 

We need your feedback to break the lock-in

This preview is an experiment. We want to know if an open AI ecosystem in ReSharper is something you actually want. Your input will directly influence how we expand agent support in ReSharper.

Tell us what to build next: Once you’ve given Junie a try, click Share Feedback in the AI Chat tool window to access our survey at any time. Let us know how the integration feels, and more importantly, tell us exactly which AI agents you want to see in the ACP Agent Registry.

Ready to break free from vendor lock-in? Download ReSharper 2026.2 EAP 1 today, and let’s build a truly open ecosystem together.